On the Wing
by SS Dispatch
Summary: Plumette (once known as Babette) was not always a feather duster. This is her story of her life before her time in the Prince's castle, and how she came to be a part of it.


**A/N: Originally, this one shot was featured in my series of one shots called "The Final Chapter" but has since been moved here, to be it's own separate one shot. This is based off the 2017 film, since Plumette (called Babette or Fifi in other versions) is hardly mentioned in earlier BATB work.**

* * *

 _Before the Curse_

Plumette put one last pin in her massive wig, taming a loose hair. The ensemble was nearly a foot above her head. She looked like a vision, though it was a struggle to get through doorways with the giant skirt. But somehow she managed to make it out of her estate with her father and get into the carriage that would lead them to the prince's castle. It was Saturday. This was what most of her Saturdays consisted of, one big ball after another. Last week she had been taken halfway across the country to a ball near Paris. She preferred to visit the balls that Prince David held, as they were notorious for only allowing the most gorgeous of people. She was proud of the fact that she was one of the most gorgeous women in the area. Her father had raised her well, and given her a life of luxury. She wanted for nothing. Her wardrobe was packed with custom made clothing from the finest designers in Paris and London, even a dress that was made from Chinese silks. This sort of life had afforded her the time and attention to her appearances, and had allowed her to be so beautiful. She had been proposed to a dozen times already, and she was only twenty two. She of course had turned them all down, none of them could offer her the life of pamper and luxury she required. Her love of the finer things was part of the reason that she was eager to attend all of Prince David's balls. She secretly hoped that he would court her. She would have accepted his proposal.

Not that she really liked him very much. He was notorious for being arrogant and self-centered. But she would have been willing to put up with his beastly habits if it meant she could get all the fine things she wanted. To say that Plumette was materialistic was an understatement.

When she arrived at the Prince's castle, her father escorted her into the castle. They didn't speak as they entered the ballroom. Her father would spend the majority of the ball standing to the side, collecting gossip and drama. He used it as a form of currency. It was how their family was so wealthy. That, and he was particularly good at cards. While her father was busy doing his business, Plumette had the freedom to dance and flirt with whomever she wished. She twirled about the room, moving from one dancer to another so fast that she never even got a chance to catch the dancers' names. In a daze she found herself slipping away from the crowd for a breath. She leaned against the wall of the ballroom, putting a hand to her corset as she panted for breath. She loved fashion so much, but this particular trend was killing her. As she caught her breath she failed to notice that a man had sidled up beside her.

"Mademoiselle," The man spoke, causing Plumette to start in surprise. "My apologies, I do not mean to frighten you. I just couldn't help but notice that you seem out of breath. Would you like an escort outside?" He offered his arm politely.

"If you're trying to get me alone, it's not going to work. You're being far too obvious." Plumette said, wishing she had remembered her fan. Not only could it cool her down but it was a fairly decent weapon.

"Oh, no, no, no. I work for the Prince, mademoiselle. I am here to be of assistance to the guests. Whether that be helping to hide a wardrobe malfunction, fetching them a favorite drink, or escorting them outdoors for a breath of fresh air. I assure you, I have no ulterior motives."

Plumette glanced over at him, only now getting a good look at him. He was quite a bit taller than her, his white wig was coiled perfectly on his head, and he had the most charming smile. She returned the smile and took his arm, "An escort would be greatly appreciated." He nodded politely and the two walked around the ballroom, walking out the front entrance. The stairs were thankfully clear of any occupants. "Thank you, Monsieur…"

"Lumiere." He chimed in.

"Monsieur Lumiere, thank you for your help. Corsets can be murder." She admitted, touching a hand to her extremely tight waistline.

"You know, I am not unfamiliar with the mechanisms of the corset. It's half of my job is loosening ladies corsets. Would you like…?"

"Women let you do that?" Plumette said in surprise. It was usually only something a woman asked another woman to do for them. It certainly sounded scandalous that a man would do such a thing.

Lumiere nodded, "As I said, I have no ulterior motives. I am here to make sure that the Prince's guests are happy as can be. I have noticed that women tend to frown less if they are able to breathe properly."

Plumette raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to believe him or not. She glanced over her shoulder at the door, "I suppose. I would much rather be a little embarrassed than not breathe." She turned her back to Lumiere, silently accepting his offer. He carefully unbuttoned the back of her dress as she held the sleeves so that it didn't completely fall off her body. "I can't say I've ever had a man get me out of my dress so fast." She joked in an attempt to make her feel a little more comfortable. She couldn't see it, but Lumiere blushed slightly at the comment, "I assure you, I do not mean to come off as inappropriate."

"I know you don't, Lumiere. If you did, you'd be far less polite than you are." She said truthfully. She had met many men who were too forward with their sexuality around her. "I know I can trust you."

"I'm glad." Lumiere said, loosening the last row of the chords that had confined Plumette so firmly. She breathed a sigh of relief as the buttons of the dress were done back up. She turned around and grinned at him, "You've no idea how good that feels. Thank you." She said.

"Of course, mademoiselle. It's the least I can do. Please, let me know if you should require me for anything else."

"You can start by calling me Plumette. You've already seen my undergarments, we might as well be on a first name basis." She said, making him laugh. He offered his arm again and escorted her back into the ballroom. Soon afterwards she was back into the swing of things, literally, as Lumiere continued about his job of attending to all of their guests.

* * *

 _Six Months Later_

Plumette had a tendency to spend her free afternoons cleaning up the house. She found a certain amount of peace in cleaning her home. When she was young her parents had not had nearly as much wealth, and she and her mother had bonded over cleaning house. There was little else for a woman to do, so the two had spent a great deal of the time when her father was gone dusting and shining everything. When her father had become wealthy, and her mother had died, Plumette assured her father that she would keep their large estate in check.

She had been going down the staircase banister with a feather duster in hand when her father slumped through the front door just in front of the stairs. His outfit was disheveled and his collar was stained yellow, and he looked like he was still sweating. "Papa?" Plumette asked, suddenly getting a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She scrambled down the steps to stand in front of him. Upon closer inspection he looked even worked. His face was dirty, and there was a thin white line across his neck, as if something had been pressed there.

"It's gone. I'm so sorry. It's all gone." Her father said, starting to cry. She had not seen him so rough since her mother had died when she was ten.

"What's gone?"

"The money. The house. Everything to our name. I made a risk. I wanted to win everything for you, sweetheart. But I lost it all." Her father weeped, shaking his head in disbelief at his own predicament. Plumette stared at him blankly. She couldn't even register his words. It couldn't be possible. He suddenly grabbed her arm, making her gasp, "You have to go. They're going to be after everything. They're going to come after me. I need to flee. You need to get out of here, take whatever you can in a small bag. You must leave. They won't hunt for you like they will for me, but when they come to ransack our home you will just be another prize to them. I love you, Plumette. Stay safe." He kissed her goodbye before walking back out the door, not taking the time to bring anything witg him.

The next hour felt like a dream. She went to her room and packed the most basic of clothes. Her favorite dresses were never going to fit into a bag, so instead she took the more basic slips and plain skirts and blouses. She threw a hair brush in the bag, and looked around her beautiful room. How could she possibly pick just one more item to stuff in the bag? Every little thing in this room was precious to her. She needed all of it to be happy. But then her eyes fell on the small brooch on her bureau. It was small, fitting smoothly in the palm of her hand. She cradled it gently, smiling down at the little white swan pin. It was her mother's. She clasped it to her cleaning dress (a plain grey, tight piece). It would have to come with her. It occurred to her as she headed down the stairs, that she would have to find someplace to work and someplace to live. She knew full well that there was no place that had free housing, unless one worked where they lived. Maybe someone was in need of a nanny? Oh, no, that wouldn't work. She wasn't patient enough for children, they spent too much of their time ruining nice clothes and damaging furniture. But perhaps someone needed a maid?

Then it struck her. Perhaps, just maybe, she could inquire with the wealthiest that she had socialized so much with over the years and see if any of them needed further assistance. After all, they had massive estates and mansions that would need cleaning. And even if they already had one maid, they would certainly need more to keep up the proper maintenance. She decided to start with the closest estate, which happened to be Prince David. It took her an hour by way of hitchhiking carriages, but she finally managed to get to the front door of the Prince's castle. And it certainly was a castle. Most people just had a mansion, but this had the spires and everything. She was sure it was nearly as old as the land itself. She clanged at the large knocker on the door.

To her great surprise, it was a familiar looking man that answered the door. They both exchanged looks of vague recognition, "Plumette?" He asked quietly.

She wondered how on earth he recognized her. She wasn't even wearing her wig, her natural curly black hair was in a bun on her head. And her dress was so plain and ordinary compared to the beautiful dress she had worn to the Prince's ball several months ago. "Lumiere, how could I forget?" She said, smiling briefly before realizing the circumstances that brought her here. She frowned a bit, "I have an odd favor to ask of the Prince. Would he be available right now?" She asked, looking away shyly.

"Not at the moment, but what is it that you need mademoiselle? Maybe I can help in some way?" Lumiere offered.

"I have recently fallen into a dire circumstance...to say the least." Plumette admitted, still unable to meet his eyes, "I was wondering if your estate was in need of a maid of some kind? I have exceptional cleaning skills, I know how to polish silver, wax hardwood, and above all else you will never see another fleck of dust anywhere in this castle if you take me on."

Lumiere seemed to consider all of this very seriously, before gesturing for her to come in. "Let me see what I can do." She followed him as he lead her through the castle. "Now, technically speaking, what I am doing is completely unacceptable to the Prince. But, do not worry, I am very persuasive. I will make sure you can work and live here." As they strode up a flight of stairs. A short, older man was striding down the steps and spotted them, "Lumiere, who is that? Whatever you are up to, I do not approve of it."

"Would you calm yourself, Cogsworth? If only our clocks were as tightly wound as you were." Lumiere rolled his eyes at the old man, who had now taken the time to walk beside them, seemingly just to annoy Lumiere.

"You did not answer my question, who is she?" Cogsworth shouted angrily.

"Plumette, and if you don't mind, you can ask me any questions. I'm right here." She said curtly, thoroughly irritated with the rude behavior.

Cogsworth shot her a look of derision, "And what might you be doing here, Plumette?" He said, over exaggerating the vowels in her name.

"I've come to seek work. I would like to be a maid here."

Cogsworth huffed, "The master will never accept that."

"Oh, please, he won't even notice. Besides, it can relieve all of our work around the house. I'm sure that everyone would be relieved to have her services around the household." He glanced over his shoulder at Plumette and smiled. There was a silent agreement between them. She knew then that she was here to stay. It would seem that regardless of how irritated the Prince may become at her arrival, and no matter how irritated it made Cogsworth, she was going to be there for awhile.

* * *

 _Two Months Later_

A soft knock came at Plumette's door. She opened the door to her lavish bedroom to find Lumiere waiting patiently behind them. "Yes?" She asked curiously, smiling kindly.

"Well, we have officially told the Prince you're here. And, obviously, since you are still standing here, he did not react badly!" Lumiere said cheerfully. "He was a bit explosive at first, but when we pointed out how flawlessly clean the whole castle has been since your arrival, he realized how useful your services had been even if he was unaware of it."

"Oh thank goodness!" Plumette said in relief. Every time she heard the prince coming in the past two months she had had to hide herself behind curtains or duck into another room. Now she no longer had to hide. She reached out and hugged Lumiere in gratitude. She hadn't thought she could ever feel truly comfortable in this castle, but Lumiere had made her feel at home. He had gone so far to make sure that she was happy and that she was safe from the Prince's apparently irrational temper.

Lumiere hesitated briefly before letting his arms fall around her. It was after a few seconds that Plumette realized the slight awkwardness of how long she had held him. She pulled away, blushing softly. "Sorry," She muttered, looking away shyly.

"Do not be, mademoiselle."

"How many times must I tell you, Lumiere? Please call me Plumette. You always are so formal around me, why is that?"

"It is out of nothing but deep respect, I assure you." Lumiere said truthfully, "I never want you to think that I disrespect you."

Plumette laughed briefly, "How on earth could I ever think you disrespect me?"

It was now Lumiere's turn to blush, "I … I worry that because of the first time we met … you may think that I disrespect you." She looked at him with a confused expression. He elaborated, "I believe the exact words you used that night were 'A man has never taken me out of my dress so fast,' And I was concerned that this gave off the impression that I am a man who cares little about the integrity and individuality of women. This is far from the truth."

Plumette was a bit flustered, surprised at his chivalry. After years of balls and being courted both by gentleman and crude men, she had never meant a man as noble as Lumiere. It would seem he had been concerned about this since their first interaction. It was no wonder then that he had acted so chivalrous. He was trying to make up for the first interaction. Which was almost entertaining to Plumette, since even then he had been so courteous and kind to her. He had thought that was disrespectful? Goodness gracious.

"Lumiere, truly, I never thought you were being disrespectful. I also never suspected that you did not respect women as a whole. I knew from the fact that you asked my permission to loosen my corset for my own comfort, rather for your own pursuits, that you were a man I could trust." Plumette said honestly.

Lumiere practically was aglow with delight. "Well, I'm glad. Come, dinner will be ready for the staff soon." He said, offering his arm for her yet again.

* * *

 _The Night of the Curse_

The Prince stood over the poor old woman on the floor and laughed. Plumette watched in surprise and shock. This whole ball had been a very odd experience for her. Being the staff on the other side of the door had been weird enough. But seeing this woman before her, and feeling the chill in the air, Plumette could tell that something terrible was about to happen. She was barely able to hear what the Prince said to the frail woman. All that she saw was the woman suddenly stretch to her feet in an ominous manner before bursting into a beam of light. Plumette had to look away. It was too stunning, too bright. The guests began to flee. Plumette looked around the room frantically. She saw Mrs. Potts running to get Chip who had wandered into the room to see what was happening. But she still could not see him.

Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder, turning her around. It was Lumiere. She clasped his hand in hers, tears welling in her eyes. The enchantress began to shout a strange language, and Lumiere knew this night could not end well for them. He didn't know what was happening, but he was terrified this would be the last he saw of his Plumette. They looked at each other frantically in the glowing light, "Plumette, you must know something."

"I don't think now's the best time." Plumette said anxiously, glancing at the magic occurring in the middle of the room.

"I love you," He said frankly. This got her attention. She looked up at him with a mixture of surprise and relief. He rested a hand on her cheek and kissed her lovingly. She didn't resist. She had felt the same way for awhile. And to know that they might potentially die in the outburst of such great magic changed things. What normally may have taken ages for either of them to pluck up the courage to say, was now being forced out of them. As they kissed, they did not notice that their bodies were changing rapidly. When they pulled apart, they found themselves considerably lower to the ground.

"Lumiere!" Plumette cried in astonishment, pointing at him in surprise. She looked down at her own arm and was shocked to see it was just a white wing. "What on earth?!" She cried in sheer terror.

Lumiere looked down at the gold metal where his body should have been. His reaction was far less extreme than hers. He was oddly calm. He looked at her, trying to piece it all together. "My dear, I think you've become a feather duster." Lumiere said. Plumette spun in a circle, looking at the feathers that were where her legs should have been. "My goodness, I am! And you're a candle!"

"I think I'm technically a candelabra." He said, looking at his hands that had been replaced by two small candles that attached to his candleholder arms.

Plumette started to choke up in fear, "What are we going to do?" She was having a hard time breathing suddenly. She tried not to think about the fact that she had no lungs.

"We are going to be fine. We'll be fine."

"But we're … objects!"

"It hardly matters. We … have each other at least, yes?" He said tentatively. She finally felt herself calming down. She reached out and took his "hands" in hers.

"You're right. Even if we are not the same physically, I still know that I love you Lumiere." She said sweetly, kissing him again. It was certainly different, and a little weird to both of them, but they didn't really care. If they were seemingly trapped as objects, they might as well enjoy their lives together.

* * *

One Month After the Curse is Broken

"Truly, we don't want a big affair." Plumette said to Belle in the garden as they walked through it together.

"Of course," Belle said, understanding just what Plumette wanted. "It'll only be those of us in the castle. Do you want to invite your father?"

Plumette looked off into the distance. Belle had no idea the history that Plumette had, did not know the life she had lead before becoming a part of the castle's staff. "I would like to. But I don't know where he is. He fled our home long ago, dodging gambling sharks. I really couldn't say where he ended up."

Belle looked at her friend with concern but nodded silently. She empathized with the pain of being separated from one's father, and it went without saying. They continued walking quietly through the garden. "Where did you want to have it?" Belle asked, even though she was pretty sure that Plumette had already said so in previous conversations.

"Right, here." Plumette said, gesturing to the large section of garden that was overrun with flowers. It was going to be the site of Plumette and Lumiere's wedding. The two had been together for so long now that it had practically been an afterthought to get married. After all, they certainly had been through plenty together. Plumette had almost resisted getting married at all, but in the end had loved the thought of being able to have a sweet ceremony with their friends.

"It's going to be beautiful, Plumette. I can't wait. Is Madame Garderobe almost finished with the dress?" Belle asked as they walked on past the garden.

"Oh goodness, I don't know. I'll have to check with her. Of course, there's hardly a deadline. It's July, we'll have time yet. We've been unmarried for this long, what's a few more weeks to wait for the right dresses?" Plumette shrugged nonchalantly.

"Very true." Belle said simply.

"I'm sure it will all be alright. I don't think Audrey will take it too personally. You know this is what she loves to do." Plumette reminded her friend.

...

Finally, after another couple of weeks, Audrey announced that the dress for Plumette's wedding were finished. Plumette was invited into Audrey's lavish work space to try on her dress. It was very different from the standard of the day. It was form fitting like her cleaning slips she used to wear, and contrasted vastly from the elegant ballgowns Plumette would have worn in her dancing days. The white fabric came down her body into a short train. Embroidered from the waist down were a trail of stitched, white swan feathers, barely visible from far off. She appreciated the lack of literal feathers, a style she had never been fond of, and was equally grateful for the incorporation of the swan at all. No wonder it had taken awhile, the embroidery was so delicate and intricate. Even the sheer lace sleeves had little swans at the wrist.

Audrey had her twirl, keeping a keen eye on him. She finally smiled and nodded her approval, "What do you think, dear?"

Plumette looked up at Audrey with a faint smile, "I've never looked more beautiful. And that truly is saying something. I've worn thousands of dresses. But none have ever felt like an extension of myself like this."

"I'm glad," Audrey said fondly. Plumette turned to look at her reflection in a full length mirror. She looked like an angel and she felt heavenly. After the moment had passed, Audrey helped her back out of the dress. Today was not the wedding day. "When is the date, dear? You did set one, yes?"

"Yes, loosely for this Saturday." Plumette said.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have worked faster! What if I had not finished it in time?" She asked frantically.

"We had warned our guests that the day may change abruptly. After all, Audrey, all of the guests are our friends here in the castle. They know that you were working actively, so they would hardly have been alarmed if I told them we would push the date back a little for you."

Madame Garderobe just shook her head, but she did smile, "You did not have to do that by any means." She paused, "But thank you. Well, we should be ready for Saturday then." Madame Garderobe said happily, swooping off to return the dress to the wardrobe, not to be taken out again until the wedding day.

...

On Saturday morning, Plumette rose from her bed and looked out the window of her bedroom. She had been sharing a bed with Lumiere since the curse was broken, but for the night before the wedding they agreed to sleep separately. She was in the room she had stayed in when she was first working in the castle. It was one of the many spare guest rooms in the castle. She had had to dust it the night before (while Lumiere laughed, "You would think after being a feather duster for so long you would be sick of dusting!") but it now seemed just like new. The room had provided comfort, but the gloomy sky outside was making her anxious. She didn't want to postpone the wedding after having reassured anyone it would still be on. Plumette rested her head against the cool glass and sighed as the rain started to fall.

A gentle knock came at her door. Plumette was suddenly reminded of when Lumiere had stood behind that door and knocked to announce she was free to stay in the castle by order of the Prince. That had been the first time she had noticed her affections for Lumiere. He had been so honorable and honest that it had charmed her. She got a little thrill, hoping that it would be Lumiere on the other side of the door again. But it was Belle, who couldn't help but notice seeing the deflated expression on her friend's face. "Oh, Plumette. You know how it is, not until the ceremony." She reminded her.

Plumette nodded glumly and sighed, "Assuming the ceremony still can be held."

"That's precisely why I'm here," Belle said, smiling now, "Obviously we can't have the ceremony outside in the rain. So, instead, I thought we could hold the ceremony in the ballroom. It's where you two met, it seems more appropriate that way. And there's no worry about notifying the guests, since we're all here anyway. Do you think that could work?"

Plumette considered this, taking a moment to think silently. "What did Lumiere say?"

"I haven't asked, I wanted to run it by you first."

Plumette sighed, knowing that if she agreed to it, so would Lumiere. He was a very agreeable man, especially regarding their wedding. "Yes, the ballroom would be perfect. Probably better than the garden to begin with." She admitted.

"Excellent! I'll go and tell the men. Head to Audrey's room to get ready." Belle instructed before dashing off down the hall.

…

All were waiting for Plumette to walk through the grand doors to the ballroom now. She stood behind said doors, trying to calm her breath. She had decided not to have an escort, but Belle was in the hall with her. She was making sure everything was in place before she walked through the door. "Alright, everything appears to be in order." Belle said excitedly. Plumette started to speak but was interrupted by the sound of a distant knock from the front door. Belle's eyes suddenly widened. Plumette frowned at her in confusion. "I'll be right back." She said in a rush, suddenly running toward the entrance. Plumette sighed exasperatedly, shaking her head in frustration. Couldn't it wait? Surely it was nobody of any importance. After a few moments of waiting, Plumette was starting to get nervous. Then Belle came around the corner and looked at Plumette with an anxious smile, "Plume, I have one last surprise for you."

"Well hurry on with it then, I was supposed to have walked in by now. They're going to think I have cold feet."

Belle walked forward, looking down demurely. Appearing from around the corner was a man, a few steps behind. Belle stepped aside so that he could walk fully forward. He was a haggard old man with graying, thin hair skirting his head. Age did not become him. He looked tired and weary. But when he saw the woman before him he lit up and his pace quickened a bit. He smiled and suddenly it struck Plumette like a bolt of lightning.

"Father!" She gasped quietly before turning properly to face him. She would have ran forward, but it would be difficult to do in the heels she was in. Instead, he came to her and wrapped her up in his arms. She was so delighted and in shock she could barely speak. Her father let go of her and looked over the vision that was his daughter, "My dear, you look gorgeous. I'm so proud of you, and all you have done since that terrible night."

Plumette thanked him graciously before turning briefly to Belle, "How?"

Belle shrugged, "Honestly, I just asked around until someone could give me his name and I spread word. I didn't actually expect anything like this."

She did her best to blot away the tears pooled around her eyes. "Thank you. Both of you. I never thought I would see you again." She admitted. "Where have you been?" Part of her felt a little brewing flame of anger toward her father. Why was it only now that he came forth? Belle took this moment to slip out of the room and go through the upper entrance into the ballroom.

"Hiding, love. Only in the past two years have I been free. And I had no idea where to find you. I had been asking around for ages for you, but nobody knew. Word managed to get to me and I came as fast as I could. I wasn't aware that it was today, so suddenly. I wish that I could have had time before this to at least meet the man who's waiting to marry my daughter." He said with a sad smile. "But all that matters is that we're together again, yes? And as you said, you're running late. I can meet him afterwards, but knowing you I'm sure he's a wonderful man."

"He is, father. But there's something you should know." She said, a little nervous. She knew that her father wanted her to marry rich, and he surely thought based on the castle he was in, that she was about to marry the Prince. "I'm not marrying the prince, father. I'm marrying his servant. The two of us live and work here together now."

Her father shrugged, "As long as you love him, why would I care?"

She laughed a bit, relieved. She had not expected that. "Thank you, papa."

He nodded, "What else is a father for?" He offered his arm to her and she took it. She reached forward and knocked quietly on the ballroom door, to signal to Chapeau and Chef Bouche to open the doors. They swung open straight away. Standing at the end of the aisle as their minister was none other than Cogsworth. Lumiere had insisted that making him minister would be the only way to make him happy. Lumiere insisted he would have been insulted to be nothing more than a common guest at his best friend's wedding.

But Plumette was hardly paying any attention to Cogsworth, or anyone else for that matter. Everyone was zeroed in on Plumette, and many were in fact staring at her father in bewilderment, but she didn't notice. All she saw was Lumiere. Of course, Audrey had given him a golden coat and suit. Her father escorted her down the aisle as Maestro Cadenza played soft and slow music. It was a very small affair. Perhaps twenty people in total. Every one of the staff and some of their family who knew her were there. It was all she needed, and all she really wanted. Her father left her in front of Lumiere and took a vacant seat that Belle had left in the front for him, just in case fortune would smile on them. It would appear that despite the rain, it had. Lumiere and Plumette took each other's hands. It was a familiar feeling, one that Plumette had grown to miss in the past couple of days.

Cogsworth cleared his throat before saying, "Dear friends, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage between these two lovers."

Lumiere was trying not to laugh at every over exaggerated syllable coming out of Cogsworth's mouth. Naturally, Cogsworth didn't notice this.

"Who has the ring?"

Chip stood up proudly, a little pillow carried in his hands with the two rings resting gently on it. He offered it for Lumiere, who took up the diamond ring. He recited his vows after Cogsworth, "May this ring be a symbol of our everlasting devotion. Through the darkness and the light, may our love hold strong like diamond and steel. With it I vow to cherish and honor you until death do us part."

Plumette was unsure how she was keeping herself together through this. It was incredibly difficult for her to accept that this was not a dream. If her twenty two year old self were there she would surely have been dying of sorrow. She never could have dreamt she would marry someone like Lumiere. But she was forever grateful that she was. She took his steel wedding band from Chip and placed it on his finger now, reciting the same vows with a little less composure than he had exhibited. She knew her eyes were swimming with tears, and when she looked up at Lumiere she saw that he was giving her a smile. He was delighted, and trying to stop her tears with a smile. He always did that.

"Then by the power vested in me, General Cogsworth," As if telepathically, Plumette could hear Lumiere saying as he had many times "He's not actually a general! He hasn't served a day in his life!" She tried hard not to laugh. "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Before he could even finish his last sentence, Lumiere had pulled her in and kissed her. The world melted around them. Ever so distantly she could hear music and cheering. But mostly all she could focus on was the man in her arms. She didn't think she would ever be able to let him go again.

She never did.


End file.
